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Parks Associates: Consumer preferences for tech support in Europe divided among service providers, manufacturers, and independent companies (1/3/2010)

Branding and delivery of home technical support services to vary in Europe Parks Associates’ latest study Customer Support in the Digital Home: Europe finds European households vary significantly in their preferences for PC tech support, indicating the market for support providers could be much more diverse and competitive in Europe than in the U.S.

This new study from the international research firm reports mixed results from broadband households in the U.K., France, and Spain when naming a trusted company to provide PC tech support. Independent technical support companies scored highest with French and Spanish households, whereas broadband service providers scored highest in the U.K., but no single type of company scored more than 30%.

These findings indicate no dominant player has yet emerged in the European market for PC tech support, unlike the U.S., where well-established brands such as Geek Squad® are likely to drive higher percentages of consumers to large CE retailers for tech support needs.

“There are significant opportunities for companies from varied backgrounds – including retailers, service providers, PC OEMs, CE manufacturers, and independent support providers – to start building market momentum for their technical support services,” said Kurt Scherf, Vice President, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates. “Backend providers could work with a variety of partners across Europe to deploy white-labeled technical support services.”

Scherf added that broadband service providers in the U.K. and France in particular have established reputations for providing extensive technical support services, which they can expand into nontraditional support areas.

“There is strong consumer demand for features that help them manage the complexity of their digital lifestyles,” Scherf said. “Broadband service providers have a unique opportunity to grow support services, but they will face increasing competition from a number of new entrants in the next few years.”

Parks Associates will present data and analysis from Customer Support in the Digital Home: Europe and other international studies at CONNECTIONS™ Europe: Monetizing Connectivity and User Experiences, April 27 in Amsterdam.

www.parksassociates.com